Community Partner Spotlight: S.T.A.R. for Early Childhood Educators Inc.

Founded in 2018 by Tina Mosley and Adrienne Pennington, S.T.A.R. for Early Childhood Educators Inc. collaborates with educators to prepare them for effectively working with young children.  S.T.A.R. stands for Staff Coaching, Training, Advocacy, and Resources; through coaching, hands-on experience, and curricula-based training, educators are taught how to better serve children through their growth and early development.Tina and Adrienne both have extensive experience with operating childcare centers and have worked with staff, families, children, and community partners to provide a variety of services such as 24-hour programs, summer programs, and enrichment programs. They believe that all children, particularly those who are Black and brown, deserve the opportunity to access high quality child care centers with well-trained educators who look like them.

S.T.A.R. has expanded their programming beyond professional development to better serve the needs of the community. Through a grant from FLOURISH, the organization held a six-week project to strengthen the relationship between parents, whether together or not, and teach them how to give their baby a healthy life. The program discussed prenatal and postpartum care, healthy eating, breastfeeding, the importance of reading to your child, and provided relationship coaching. In addition, since COVID, Tina and Adrienne have supported the needs of their staff and families by collecting PPE supplies and food from pantries for distribution in the community.

Tina shared that she wishes more people knew the value of rallying around childhood educators. Professional preparation and development for those in early education is key to providing quality care to children and families. Evidence-based practices are always evolving, and training must change along with that. S.T.A.R. has great partners such as Generate Health’s FLOURISH initiative, United 4 Children, Turn The Page STL, Community Impact Network, and other organizations deeply rooted in the community that help with the provision of additional services. Due to the fact S.T.A.R. is a relatively new non-profit, they are always looking for ways to strengthen their business and grow in the right way to best support their target populations. They recognize how important it is to keep learning and filter knowledge back through to their educators and infuse their learning into programs.  Tina left us with this: “S.T.A.R. is a blessing to many, especially to us. We just hope that people will be able to identify and see what we’re able to offer.”

For more information, visit https://www.star4eceinc.com/

Learn more about S.T.A.R. for Early Childhood Educators Inc.’s FLOURISH grant funded project, “Let’s Talk, From Partners to Parents!”